Space shuttle crew remembered as anniversary of tragedy nears

Two Germantown schools named after Challenger crew

Eusi Holt was a fourth grader when the space shuttle Challenger exploded just after liftoff Jan. 28, 1986. Holt watched the explosion on television with other students in an advanced math and science program sponsored by NASA.

Holt's daughter, Kayla is a first-grader at S. Christa McAuliffe Elementary School in Germantown, named after one of the crew members aboard the Challenger.

"My husband and I tried to explain to Kayla who Christa McAuliffe was," Holt said. "It's important for her to know that there was a teacher who wanted to be more than just a teacher. But, it's almost like you're giving her too much to comprehend."

McAuliffe and Ronald E. McNair were two of the seven NASA astronauts who died in the shuttle explosion, said NASA spokeswoman Katherine Trinidad. Cold weather and a problem with the right solid rocket boosters caused the explosion, she said.

Charlotte Kibak, PTA president at McNair in Germantown, said the school opened as in 1989. Kibak, mother of a second grader at McNair, said McNair's widow attended the opening. McAuliffe opened in 1987, said Sean Bulson, acting community superintendent.

Like many people 24-years ago, Dennis Kamuhanda watched the Challenger lift off. He said has taught his daughter, Denisha, a fifth-grader, how important McAuliffe is.

"It's good to see there is a school named after her," Kamuhanda said. "It's a good way to keep her memory alive."

Denisha, 11, said it's good to know there is a teacher who tried so hard to become an astronaut. It's inspiring to be at a school named after someone who followed her dreams, Denisha said.

"It's a good school and it's probably because it's named after a person who wanted the best," Denisha said.

Loretta Favret, principal at McAuliffe, said the late teacher and astronaut embodied the schools mission of teaching kids to reach for the stars. Pictures of McAuliffe in her NASA uniform pepper the walls near the school's main office.

Eileen Macfarlane, principal at McNair, said the school celebrates his birthday, Oct. 21, 1950, instead of his death. Macfarlane said the school begins each year with an orientation about McNair's life. McNair's biography is required reading for fourth-grade students, she said.

"It's important that we share knowledge of who Ronald McNair was with our students," Macfarlane said. "He was really motivated and took education serious. It's a real honor to be at a school named after him."